1. Alfred
Alfred is by far my favorite app on my Macbook. It is extremely powerful, but even just using it for its basic functions greatly improves my productivity. It makes launching apps, finding documents, searching the internet, and more easily accessible. I also have the powerpack which uses something called workflows which opens up infinite possibilities in the world of productivity.
2. Better Touch Tool
Without this app, I would probably hate Macs. I simply set it up to let me snap and minimize windows with trackpad gestures. It can do much more, but my simple set up makes it so much easier to navigate and view two windows simultaneously.
3. Visual Studio Code
I went through a handful of text editors trying to find one that was reliable, customizable, powerful, and free. I stuck with Github's Atom for a while, but I was tired of it always crashing and being sluggish. VS Code is by far the best editor I've ever used and now I'm a happy loyal user.
4. Trello
I used this tool a couple of times for different companies and recently started using it for all of my tasks, both personal and professional. It is so easy to use, accessible in browser and by phone, and is perfect for collaboration.
5. Sketch
Before I bought Sketch, I had Adobe Illustrator. And I hated it. I just don’t think it was the right program for the type of design I had to do. Sketch is both beautiful and intuitive and felt right as soon as I tried it. I am loving design because of this program and eager to up my skills, confident that I have the right tool to improve.
6. ImageOptim
This app is the best way to optimize images for the web with lossless image compression. It is drag and drop. Doesn’t get easier than that.
7. Noun Project
I don’t always design with icons, but this is where I go when I do. There are seemingly unlimited icons and they are free to use with attribution. At one point, I paid the subscription for NounPro at $40/yr which is the royalty free version with integrations with Sketch and Photoshop. I highly recommend this for icons.
8. Photoshop
This one is a given as a web developer. I use it almost daily for basic tasks when working with images- there is no replacement for this powerhouse.
9. Spotify
I can't get work done without my tunes.
10. iTerm2
I'm not sure why I like iTerm2 so much more than just the default terminal. I also installed Oh My Zsh which makes it pretty. There is so much functionality that I haven't even explored between the two, so maybe it's the hidden potential that I like.